Traction-truck



` (No Model.)

Gr. H. EDWARDS. TRAGTION TRUCK.

N. PETERS. Pham-Luhugmpnen wnhmgw. n. c

GEORGE H. EDVARDS, CF CHICAGO, LLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part oi' Letters Patent No, 385,449, dated July 3, 1888.

Application {led May 3l, 1887'.

To @ZZ whom, t muy concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. EDWARDS, of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of lllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in rlractioinTrucks, ot' which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention pertains to the use ol" a folding selfsupporting endless trussed chain belt, or endless apron of planks, in combination with any suitably-construeted wagon or truck, and is an improvement upon the invention described in Letters Patentof the United States, No. 232,395, granted to me September 2l, 1880.

The object of my invention is to provide a truck or wagon adapted to carry heavy burdens, and be propelled by a steam-engine or other suitable motor over cultivated fields, swamp lands, or the common highways, for plowing, hauling, and various kinds of work usually performed by animal-power.

The nature of my invention consists, in part, in the means provided to prevent the driving-wheels ofthe truck from slipping on the track within the plank-apron.

it consists, further, in the means provided to allow cach plank oi' the endless plank-apron to lie flat upon the ground before the wheels roll onto it, and until all the wheels of the truck have rolled over and oit of it.

It consists, further, 'in the means provided to enable the chordlinks ot' the braced chains and the plus within them to be made ot' larger dimensions than is practicable in the form of construction shown in my former patent.

It consists,- fnrther, in the means provided to facilitate the repair ot' the endless braced chains when theyare badly worn and to lessen the friction and wear of some of their parts.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side view of my tractiolrtruck. Fig. 2is a sectional transverse view on the line .fr y of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a View of one of the braced chains secured to the planks, as seen from a point directly above it. Fig. L is a View of one of the chordlinks, and Figs. 5 and 6 show variations in the construction of the chordlinks.

A strong heavy frame of timbers, B B C, is mounted on the axles A A. and the wheels D D.

a a are the planks of the endless plankn apron.

Serial No. lll. (No model.)

b L are the brace-links ofthe braced chains.

c c are the outside pins of the braced chains.

d d are the ehordvlinks of the braced chains.

e e are the inside pins of the braced chains, and Z Z are loose rollers ou the inside pins.

The triangular brace links b b2 may be formed of east or wrought metal, and should have the wing or flange b formed upon the base side or the outer edge at an angle of about ninety degrees, as shown in Fig. 2. Holes are formed through the links b b2 near their corners to receive the pins c e, and other holes are formed through the ilanges b to re ceive the bolts n, by which they are secured to the planks a. The brace-links are arranged in pairs, as shown, and two adjacent pairs are hinged together by one ofthe outsidejointpins e.

The chord-links d may be made of cast or wrought metal, and a hole,d,is formed at one end, and the slot di! is formed near the other end, as shown in Fig. 4. The chord-linked are placed between the brace-links b b2, as shown in Figs. and 8, and one of the inside jointpins, e, is inserted through the holes in the inside corners ol' a pair of brace-links,and, together with one of the loose rollers Z, placed upon it and between the brace-links, is insorted through the holes d of a pair ot chordlinks and the slots d2 of an adjacent pair of chord-links, as shown, thus connecting the inside corners ot the biacelinks and forming a regular truss, and any force pushing from one ot' the joiutpins c toward the nearest chordlink will be resisted by the tensile strength of the ehord-links'and the stiffness ot' the three sides ot the triangular strut-links b.

\Vhen power is applied to the driving wheels ol' the traction-truck, soas to cause them to roll, the planks are 'laid upon the ground. the wheels roll forward on the planks, and the planks are picked up behind the wheels and carried up over and laid down in `front of the wheels again in continuous succession. Vhen the links are drawn outstraight, the planks upon the ground and the braced chains forni a regular trussbridge under the wheels, and the ground vertically under the wheels will not receive any greater pressure than the ground under either of the planks between the Wheels. The slots in the links d allow th c folding trussed chain to fold together, so as to bend around the wheels, andthe anges roo i., essere b of the brace-links form aliard smooth track for the wheels to roll on.

The drawings shew the plankapron as con? taining two ofthe endless braced chains, and in each section ot' chain two of the brace-links Z) or b2, and two of the chord-links d, but the number of links of either kind in a section may be varied as desired, and also the number of braced chains in the plank-apron may be varied. Tol prevent the driving-wheels from slipping on their tracks, the notches o are formed in their peripheries, and the pins c are made long enough to extend outward from one side ofthe braced chains, as shown in Fig. 3, and the loose cogs w (or they may be forged solid upon the pins) are secured to the pins and meshV into the notches o as the drivingwheels roll upon the anges Z/. This rack-and-pinion 7 action between the drivingwheels and the plank-apron would canse the planks and wheels to act as a polygon as they revolve together over the ground, and to prevent this eit'ect and cause each plank to lic ilat upon the ground at all times when the wheels bear upon it the pins c are located above or inside the surface of the llanges b', which form the tracks for the wheels to roll upon, and the notches o are made so that the inner surface, lr, of the notch shall bear upon the top surface, n, of the cog w, and the wheel will roll upon the top of the cog and lift the periphery ofthe wheel clear ol' the track while passing over the pins.

The third mentioned purpose of the invention is secured by forming the slot lZ of the chord-links at an angle to the longitudinal center x no of the link,so that as the chordlinks slide together their slotted ends will be carried farther away from the axle, so as to pass clear of the chord-links next in front of them in the same plane.

The strains and wear upon the chordliuks tend to increase the distance between the eX- treme sides ol' the hole d and the slot da, and that increase will allow the plank-apron to bend upward between the wheels above a straight line. To enable this wear and defect to be readily remedied, the loose rollers Z, made of cast-iron or any suitable material, are placed on the pins c within the chordlinks and between the brace links, as shown, and these rollers may be removed and other rollers having a larger radius upon onesidc or upon all sides may be substituted in place of them, so as take up that increase in length within the chordlinks.

A larger number of axles or wheels may be used in the truck, and one wheel or each of the wheels may bc fitted with notches and caused to operate as a driving-wheel.

rlhe driving-wheels are shown as having their peripheries and the series of bearingsurt'aees r located in the same p lane; but the construction of the wheels may be varied in this respect, and the track and cogs upon the plank-apron may be adapted to the wheel accordingly,so that they will mesh with the two series of bearing-surfaces of the wheel respectively.

The truck may be inverted yand secured in a stationary position,and power being applied to the axle or shaft A, any material placed on the upper surface of the plank-apron will be carried to the end and discharged.

To transform the truck into an endlessA conveyer,no change in the construction would be necessary except to vary the dimensions of the several parts.

The improvements herein described may be used when each of the brace-link triangles is composed of three stiff bars of metal joined together by the pins c e c, so as to form a triaugle,as shown in Letters Patent of the United States. No. 124,012, granted to me February 27, 1872.

I have made the braee-links b of a single piece of metal about three-fourths of an inch thick, and the brace-links b2 of a similar piece of metal riveted onto a strong bar of steel, b, of greater thick ness,placed behind it, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, b3. Thejournals of one axle are made adjustable and provided wit-hbolts h to draw the axles apart by turning the nuts t' and vary the slackness ofthe plank-apron.

l claim as my inventionf 1. ln a traction-truck traveling on an endless track supported by a braced chain, the combination ot' a frame, B B C, two or more axles, A,whcels D, and a braced chain having curved or angled slotted links d on the inner chord and eogs lV on the outer chord of said brace-chain.

2. In a truck or wagon, the combination of a frame, B B C, two or more axles, A, wheels D, brace-links secured to the planks a and jointed together by the pins c,and chord-links secured to the brace-links by the pins c, enger more ot" the driving-wheels being provided with notches in its periphery, and the pins c having the cogs w,ot' such shape and so located that they will mesh with the notches of the driving wheel or wheels.

3. In a traction-truck traveling on an endless track supported by a braced chain, the combination ot' the wheels D, the curved or angled slotted links d, the diagonal braces b, and the planks a.

4t. rlhe combination of a frame, axles, or shafts, wheels, longitudinal and diagonal brace-links joined together at one end by the pins c, and. chord-links joined to the bracelinks at their other ends by the pins c, the chord-links having the diagonal or curved slots d2, as described.

5. The combination of longitudinal and diagonal brace-links joined together by the pins c, slotted chord-links joined to the brace-links by the pins c, and the loose rollers Z.

GEORGE H. EDNARDS.

Witnesses:

J No. J. Carisa, J. A. GARDNER.

lOO 

